Fish clamps



w. BENTON FISH CLAMPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5. 1953 NVENTO mA/v f PM 5 dm l ATTORNEY F. W. BENTON Aug. 7, 1956 FISH CLAMPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1953 INVENTOR FAA AM 'l V. f/VTO/V,

r BY 9071M ATTORNEY United States Patent FISH CLAMPS Frank W. Benton, Wilson, N. C.

Application July 3, 1953, Serial No. 865,802 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-16) The object of the invention is to provide a fish clamp similar to and having the general objects of the fish holding device shown in Patent No. 2,358,682; to provide a clamp of the character indicated which is susceptible of fabrication by automatic machinery, so that the finished product is produced from the rough material without the intervention of manual activity other than may be necessary to supply the machine with the material and remove the product therefrom; and generally to provide a fish clamp which is of simple form, sturdy in operation and of a character making it susceptible of manufacture at low cost.

And, with this object in view, the invention consistsin a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the invention;

Figure 3 is an elevational view from a point 90 degrees from that at which Figure 2 appeared;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrow A of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow B of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the the line 7-7 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the the line 8-8 of Figure 2; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the the line 99 of Figure 2.

In its improved form, the invention consists of a spring frame C and the plates D, so that it consists substantially of only three parts which are assembled into the complete device.

plane indicated by plane indicated by plane indicated by The frame C is made from a single spring wire strand bent to provide the cross member 10, from which project parallel legs 11 coiled to provide the spring hinge element 12, from which continue the component legs 13, the terminals 14 of which are bent inward to meet the point indicated at 15 in Figure 1. Thus, the frame consists of two identical double-legged elements and an associated combined spring and hinge element. While it is necessary that the terminals 14 be united, they may, if desired, be spot-welded together where they abut at 15.

The plates D are initially in the form of stamping, of which the jaw sections 16 are bent and cut to provide the rows of terminal teeth 17 and are punched to provide the inside teeth 18, and both they and the web sections 19 are formed with lateral lip portions 20 and 21, of which the latter are connected with the form, so that the plates may be placed on the legs of the frame and the lips 20 coiled inwardly around the legs and the lips 21 coiled outwardly around the legs.

Both the jaw portions of the plates and the corresponding portions of the frame are slightly arched, as indicated in the drawings, with the concave sides in facing relation to each other, with the teeth, of course, in corresponding relation.

It is obvious that both from the drawings and the description that the device is reduced to very simple form and yet is susceptible to all the functions specified for the original in Patent No. 2,358,682. The jaws have a spring tendency away from each other and the spring and hinge function are inherent in the spring coils 12 and the frame.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

A fish clamp comprising a spring frame formed from a wire strand and bent to provide spring coils and parallel legs extending from corresponding extremities of the coils, and plates which span the corresponding legs of the two coils, the plates consisting of jaw and Web sections of which the latter have lateral lips coiled around the legs in one direction and the former have lips coiled around the legs in the opposite direction, the jaw sections of the plates being formed with upwardly projecting teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,244,072 Ledbetter June 3, 1941 2,263,965 Fiori Nov. 25, 1941 2,358,682 Benton et al. Sept. 19, 1944 2,585,089 Caldwell et a1. Feb. 12, 1952 

